How could Shimizu not understand what Jiraiya was implying? With things having escalated this far, judging by the usual behavior of those in power, there was a high chance he would be the one sacrificed.
From their past methods, uncovering the truth would be simple—just search his memories. And if they wanted to maximize benefits, then sacrificing him as an individual would be enough.
Either way, it would corner him with no way out.
"If Konoha's higher-ups won't accept it, then tell me, Jiraiya-sama… what choice do I have?"
"Am I supposed to willingly risk losing my sanity to accept a memory probe from the Torture and Interrogation Force?"
"Or should I just bear all the consequences myself… and let them use me as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Kumogakure?"
By the time he reached this point, a trace of bitterness crept into Shimizu's voice. "The truth is clear—I was placed under Madara's genjutsu."
"I don't believe I was in the wrong, and I have nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to Konoha."
"But if Konoha still insists on sacrificing me, then I have nothing more to say."
"I can only say… fate wasn't on my side."
He let out a soft sigh, as though lamenting the cruelty of destiny.
Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "And I assume you understand why Madara went to such lengths to do this, don't you, Jiraiya-sama?"
Jiraiya had once asked him why Madara had chosen to save him and even granted him Hashirama's cells.
At the time, Shimizu had claimed he didn't know, as he had been unconscious.
But looking back at Shimizu's earlier report—where he clearly stated that Madara had tried to persuade him to leave Konoha, even going so far as to use Sharingan genjutsu to influence his mind…
Jiraiya had already formed certain suspicions.
Combined with the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, it was hard to ignore the possibility that there was something special about Shimizu Uzuki—something that had drawn both Madara's attention and the Sage's foresight.
Otherwise, someone as shrewd and experienced as the old Hokage would never have so firmly believed Shimizu to be the "Child of Destiny."
And yet, even now, everything remained shrouded in uncertainty. In fact, with the sudden emergence of a Kekkei Genkai–like technique and the assassination of the Third Raikage happening back-to-back, Shimizu himself had only become more of an enigma.
Still, at the very least, the boy was being straightforward—able to speak openly like this.
"…That 'Storm Release' the Raikage's side mentioned—what exactly is it? Your new technique, right?" Jiraiya asked.
"Storm Release?" Shimizu frowned slightly. "Is that what it's called? I only tried combining Water Release and Lightning Release, and that technique was the result."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that? Do you know how many years I spent developing it…"
Water Release and Lightning Release had always been Shimizu's specialties, so claiming years of research behind it was entirely reasonable.
"I see…" Jiraiya nodded, then asked another question. "Then how are you so certain that the one who cast the genjutsu on you was Madara, and not the middle-aged man Shisui saw?"
"…That middle-aged man was most likely Madara," Shimizu replied after a brief pause. "If he's managed to survive from the Warring States era until now, then becoming younger again isn't that strange."
Shimizu could accept such a possibility because he knew that, in the future, Madara would even fully regain his youth and reach the peak of his power.
But he had clearly overestimated Jiraiya's ability to accept that explanation.
"…That's impossible!" Jiraiya said, his disbelief obvious. "Didn't you say he was a dying old man the last time you saw him?"
Jiraiya could understand extending one's lifespan through certain means.
But reversing age? Returning to one's prime?
"Turning into a man in his fifties… how could that be possible?"
How could it not?
In the later days of the shinobi world, even the dead would crawl out of their coffins…
"It can only be Madara. An Uchiha with the Sharingan whom Shisui doesn't recognize—there's no one else it could be," Shimizu insisted. "If that sounds too far-fetched, then we can have the Hokage verify it."
No one in Konoha had ever seen Madara at fifty, but if they compared an image of him from his youth with what Shisui had glimpsed through the Nine-Tails' eyes, the answer should become clear.
"If it really is Madara…" Jiraiya fell into thought.
"Tell me everything," he finally said. "From the moment Kumogakure sent their envoy to now—everything that happened in between."
At last, Jiraiya made up his mind.
He was going to see this matter through.
He couldn't let the younger generation of Konoha's shinobi lose faith.
And he absolutely couldn't let Madara have his way.
…
Shisui's two tomoe spun rapidly within his Sharingan as he focused with all his strength on casting genjutsu upon one of the Kumogakure shinobi.
After several breaths, the spinning gradually slowed.
"Well?" Minato asked.
"I did what I could…" Shisui replied, visibly fatigued. "I implanted the memory that the Third Raikage was killed by the Nine-Tails."
"But it'll only last about a day. Once he recovers his chakra, the genjutsu will break…"
"And the faster he recovers, the sooner it'll fade." This was already the limit of what Shisui could achieve.
"A day…" Minato nodded. "That's enough time for us to leave the Land of Waterfalls."
He made his decision without hesitation. "Then please, apply the same genjutsu to all eleven of them."
"Understood, Minato-senpai."
…
"Jiraiya-sama, this is the best I can do…" Shisui said uneasily, seeing the serious look on Jiraiya's face. "If they weren't all in such a weakened state, I doubt I could have succeeded at all."
At that moment, Jiraiya was carefully examining the condition of Dodai and the other Kumogakure shinobi.
What struck him was just how direct—and overwhelming—the effects of Sharingan genjutsu were.
So the Sharingan was even more powerful than he had thought?
To influence a person's mind and memories so easily…
And among these eleven were elite shinobi like Dodai.
"Is Sharingan genjutsu really capable of altering someone's mind and memories this easily?" Jiraiya asked, still skeptical.
"No… it's actually very difficult. Even within the clan, only a handful of shinobi can use this level of genjutsu…"
If it weren't for Shisui's extraordinary talent, his ocular power far surpassing that of ordinary Uchiha, combined with his own mastery of genjutsu, this wouldn't have been possible at all.
"I see…" Jiraiya murmured, giving Shisui another long look.
Which meant that this boy—who was even younger than Kakashi—possessed a terrifying level of genjutsu through his Sharingan.
Something comparable to Madara's?
So how had someone with such monstrous talent ended up as the disciple of Shimizu—the so-called "Genjutsu-incompetent"
Was there more to that story as well?
Jiraiya couldn't shake the feeling that, during his time away from the village, he had missed far more than he realized.
...
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